Stella Bowles was a Grade 6 Nova Scotia student when she turned environmental activist to campaign against sewage pipes draining straight into the LaHave River. This is the inspirational first person account of Stella's Grade 6 science fair project which caught the eyes of the media, the public and government leaders propelling her into the limelight.

Stella details her two and a half year fight to clean up the river, winning numerous awards for her environmental activism along the way. She succeeds in shaming three levels of government and rallying supporters into funding a $15.7 million cleanup. Today, she continues to campaign for cleaner water and demonstrates to other children how to test water quality in their own backyards, and how to take action if they find their water is polluted too.

Stella's story will motivate readers to engage in local environmental activism. She demonstrates that doing what's right has no age barriers.

Awards

Short-listed - Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award - 2020

"This is a fantastic story of a young activist who recognized a problem and worked hard to solve it. The title is filled with great photos of Stella working step-by-step to clean up the river ... A relatable tale for most environmental collections."

- School Library Journal

"While My River does include some of the features of non-fiction ... it is the text of Stella Bowles's story of helping to put a stop to polluting practices on the LaHave River that carries the tale. It's the small steps in learning and discovery that make My River an exemplar of activism by young people with the message that, with perseverance and science, while looking in your own backyard, you can help change the world."

- Helen Kubiw CanLit for Little Canadians

"My River is told with honesty, humility and the love of discovery. Teachers will want this book in their classrooms for its messages of empowerment, confidence and scientific application."

- Mable's Fables

"My River: Cleaning up the LaHave River, an impressive example of what can be accomplished, should be recommended to any young people who have identified a science-related issue that calls out for change."

- CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"Once readers get caught up in reading this book, they'll find it hard to put down. Stella's strong, lively voice and personality will pull readers into the story and will quickly win them over to her ambitious endeavor. The language and dialogue is kid-friendly and authentic."

- CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"The collaboration started from a sign ... But it was that, that led Carter to the author of the sign, student activist/community scientist Stella Bowles. Carter attended presentations Bowles made about straight pipes taking household waste, or poop" as Bowles called it, into the river. Bowles' activism over the straight pipes is succeeding in cleaning up the LaHave River, through a tri-government program to replace the pipes with septic systems."

- Karen Janigan Lighthouse Now

"My River: Cleaning up the LaHave River is highly recommended for both school and public libraries ."

- Laura Reilly Resource Links

ANNE LAUREL CARTER is an author. Her eighteen books have been inspired by something she felt needed telling, either from her experience, her children's or someone she'd met. She divides her year, writing and teaching, between Toronto and Nova Scotia where Anne is a neighbour of Stella Bowles.

STELLA BOWLES has been presented with numerous awards for environmental activism, including being named one of Canada's Top 25 Environmentalists Under 25 in 2017. She is a 13 year old junior high school student living in Upper LaHave, Nova Scotia. She collaborated with author Anne Laurel Carter to put her story into book form.

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Formac Publishing Company Limited recognizes the support of the Province of Nova Scotia through the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage – Creative Industries Fund. We are pleased to work in partnership with the Province of Nova Scotia to develop and promote our cultural resources for all Nova Scotians. We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $153 million to bring the arts to Canadians throughout the country. We acknowledge the [financial] support of the Government of Canada.